Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-09-22

fact is. got married withous telling
George, and he abused Mis- Berry and
Louisa till l had to give him pretty
broad hint to hold his tongue. There
was a considerable GOODNESS between
him and me for q spell, and though his
was right enough in saying it was a
Tom-fool performance, he didn't real
ize that was to blame, and that poor
Mis- Berry and Louisa would have sent
me flying If they had knowed the
sort of man I was. They didn' t. and
l didn't myself till it was too late.
ut begun by Louisa and her mother
trying to help me tend store. and
Lord! how mad was! The store was
their'n, SO l bought it. and told 'em
I'd run it my own way; l was so afraid
of being bossed. Then in the house
they undertook to polish me up; wanted
me to wear a necktie every day. and l
wouldn't do it A necktie amt much
to fight about, is it? but Louisa, she'd
give me that necktie and I'd stomp on
it. and then she'd cry, and then l was
mad as q hornet You amt married,
Janet, and You don't realize how easy
it is for man and his wife to set into
hot water, and one with my hasty
temper -"
'Ah, Uncle Eph," Isaid, you never
spoke an unkind word in your life"
mot to you and Mary and the rest
of the young Ones" he returned. mild
ly, ''but l want married to any o
you. and that makes sight O. diff
ference. l spoke good many to
Louisa; l got ugly; l got SO ugly that
forgot how to be pleasant. There is
cussed. mean, cantankerous streak in
me, and marriage brought it out
strong. Them two poor women had a
terrible life with me. I'd come down
TO breakfast thinking I'd behave like
Christian just for one day, and before
the butter was melted OH my pancake
Louisa she'd make some innocent re-
mark, or her mother would apologize
for there not being any maple sirup.
and then I'd growl and grumble like a
bear with a soar head; nobody knows
what for; and I'd go to the store, and
bang the door after me, so as to be
ugly up to tn !, last notch.
ut wasn't pleasant, Janet. Finally
old Mis- Berry got SO she couldn't
speak to me at all, for fear of what I'd
say back, and Louisa didn't das't to
open her mouth. And thinks l, if
you're going to be dumb, I'll be dumb,
too So none of us spoke to each
other except when we had to. Nice,
wasn't it? Along come George in the
thick of it, and what must he do but
pitch into the women. I. being his
brother, he was sure I was all right,
but l sez to him: George, you don't
know me; you amt got any idea how
I'm acting But he wouldn't hear a
word Of that; he went in and give
Mis- Berry and Louisa terrible talk
ing to, and then l give HIM talking
to and everybody got mad. Why,
George acted as though 1 was child
to be cuddled and fused over. Well,
he cleared out, and Mis- Berry was
crying and Louisa she had sort of fit,
and the next day Mis- Berry told me
Louisa had he.rt-diseasc and was likely
to die if she got excited. That scarf
me, and yet it put murder in my
heart"
Uncle Eph's pipe had gone out, and
drawing his chair nearer mine he went
on in low tone:
'Soon as 1 knowcd that Louisa was
likely to die if l yelled at her or
stamped, l just ached to holler and
swear SO as to see if she would drop
dead. l had to struggle night and day
against the temptation. don't know
what allied me. but was possessed Of
demon. and had to fight so hard to
keep from killing her that the sweat
stood on my face as though l was get
ting in hay. l felt myself growing
weaker. 1t was like hanging on to the
side of q house and feeling my fingers
slip. and finally had to leave. give
the store back to 'em. though. and l
paid of tie mortgage on the house
soon after was married, so Louisa
was comfortably fixed. and then quit
her. If 1 had stayed there another
day I'd have killed her sure us gun.
There was murder in my heart
just as he brought the melancholy
story of his short married life to a
close l heard wheels oatside, and
through the window l saw Uncle
George Groot and his wife and Mary
and the two boys driving into the
yard.
They'll tell You very different"
said Uncle Uph. hastily. They'll tell
you that Mis- Berry and Louisa are u
dreadful pair. and got my money away
from me and treated me so bad tina: I
ran home like licked schOol-boy, but
that amt SO. They don't understand
me. You see. they never saw but one
side of me-"
All the Grcots trooped into the site
ting-roon. and then there was such a
cOmmotion! The unanswered letter
was not only forgiven. but forgotten.
and after telling Aunt Ann Gront that